Machine for making sheets of ground cereals



(No Model.)

J. P. GENT. MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEETS 0F GROUND CEREALS. No. 347,790. Patented Aug. 24, 1886.

"" N. PETERS, Phmu-Lnlmgmphur. vmshmgwn. DV (2,

JOSEPH F. GENT, OF COLUMBUS, INDIANA.

. M ACHINE FOR MAKING SHEETS OF GROUND CEREALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,790, dated August 24, 1886. Application filed February 2, 1886. Serial No.19OJi65. (No model.) I

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, JosEPH F. GENT, a'

' citizen of the United States,residing at Columplan view thereof.

I 25 v I r cal parts in all the figures.

bus, in the county of Bartholomew and State of Indiana; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Sheets of Ground Cereals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

. My invention consists of a machine for takingathe ground product of a cereal and converting it into compressed glutinate'l sheeting, such as claimed in my application for a United States-Patent filed February 2,1886, and numbered 190,633 by the Patent Office.

A machine substantially such as I have successfully used in practice is illustrated in the annexed drawings, where Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section'of the machine. Fig. 2 represents a Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the same.

The same letters of reference indieate'identi- The dry ground cereal passes from a hopper, A, "into one end of a horizontal moisteningcylinder, B, into the same end of which steam is introduced through a pipe, lg. The moistening-cylinder contains a rotating horizontal stirrer-shaft, armed with spirally-set blades "0, whereby the ground cereal is stirred and graduallyfed toward the other end of the cylinder. By the action of the steam and water of condensation the ground cereal is gradually converted into a moistened and slightlysticky mass, in which condition it is forced out of the discharge-spout b. It is received upon an endless apron, D, (which was made of thin steel in the machine which I used,) stretched over rollers E and F. The roller E is journaled in bearings, which can be adjusted by screws, as shown, in order that the apron may be stretched to the required tautness. Roller ,F isahollow metallic cylinder,'provided with a fhollow and perforated central shaft, F, through i --whioh steam is admitted to heat the roller and the-apron. Shaft F carries a pulley, F for driving the roller, and thus causing the apron -Dto1ruu.' A'hollow metallic roller, G, is jour- Ifnaled'by its hollow perforated shaft G in suitable bearings of the frame-work vertically above the axis of the roller F. Steam is admitted through hollow shaft G to heat the roller G., The bearings of roller G are sup-- ported in vertical guides upon suitable springs, and are borne down by screws, as clearly, shown, so that the roller G may be readily adjusted with reference to endless apron I). As the moistened and sticky material is carried toward hot roller G it meets aspreading- I roller, I-L armed witha i'ine of teeth, h, fromone end to the other, such line running in a right-handed spiral fromone end of the roller to the middle, and thence in a left-handed,

spiral to the other end of the roller, as clearly shownin Fig. 2. Thisspreading-roller spreads the moistened and sticky material evenly and in athin layer across the apron D, which then carries this layer under the hot rollerG and over hot roller F, by the rolling compression and'heating of which the layer is rolleland glutinated into a flabby sheet. The apron travels between suitable guard rails or boards, cl d, which prevent the material from being carried over its edges. The flabby sheet is directed by a cant-board, I, to enter between a pair of hOllOWlTlGllfllllC rollers, K and L, which'are heated by steam introduced through their hollow perforated shafts K and L. Shaft K of roller K is journal ed in fixed bearings K", but shaft L of roller L is journaled in sliding bearings L seated against springs L, which tend to push these hearings away from the bearings of shaft L, and thus separate the rollers K and L. By means of screws L the bearings L may be adjusted to set the 'roller L close up to roll'er K, in order that the flabby sheet may be hard-rolled by these rollers to reduce it to sheeting of about the thickness of ordinary thin card-board, and effect a final and firm cementation of the particles. The heat of the rollers alsodries the sheeting; but I prefer to afterward kiln-dry it in a suitable kiln.

In order that the sheeting passing out of rollers K and L may be cut or broken into pieces, if desired, I arrange a hopper under these rollcrscontaining a breaker, N, composed of a rotating shaft armed with long knives, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. A cant-board may be placed above breaker N, as'shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, to deliver the sheeting of ground cereal ings. The stirrer-shaft O, rollersF G H K L,

and breaker N are driven in the respective directions indicated by the arrows on Fig. 1 by suitable belt or other gearing. The apron D and roller G are driven to move with like relative surface speed,'and the rollers K and L are also driven to move withlike relative the flabby sheet as fast as it comes from the apron D and roller G. The speed of the stirrershaft is so regulated as to supply the moistened sticky material as fast as needed. Any excess banks up behind the spreading roller.

For the sake of distinction,I term hot roller G the glutinatingroller and the hot rollers K and L the "reducing-rollers.

The scrapings may be returned to the hopper of the moistening-cylinder.

I prefer to moisten the ground cereal in the moisteningcylinder by means of steam; but it it is obvious-that water, preferably warm, may be used instead. 'Any excess of condensed steam or water will pass out at the dischargespout of the cylinder. I also prefer to heat roller F, soas to heat apron D; but that is not absolutely necessary.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, substantiallyas before set forth, of the moistening-cylinder,thefeed: ing stirrer-shaft therein, the endless traveling apron, the spreading'roller, the glutina'ting -f roller, and the reducing-rollers. p h .3

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth,of the emllesstraveling metallicapro n: Y 1 and the roller carrying the same, sai d;roller j. being provided with a constructionwhereby;

.it may be healed, substantially as described. 4o

3. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the heating IGdllOlllgJOllGlSLthe hopper below the said rollers, and the breaker in the hopper. l 1

4. The combination, with a cylinderand ayi sf j feeding stirrer-shaft therein, of the endless-ii traveling metallic apron and a heating-roller l carrying the same, and the glutiuating roller, substantially as described.

5. The combinatiou,with a glutinating-roll-fgo er, of a metallic endless belt, a heating-roller carrying the same, a spreading-roller mounted y I above the endless apron, and a feeding con-, struction, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 3 55 presence of two witnesses. i l

J. F. GENT.

Witnesses:

E. 'I. WALKER,- B. E. J. IEILS. 

